A new tip from leakster Yogesh Brar is suggesting that Samsung may be gearing up to launch a third foldable device alongside this year’s iteration of the Galaxy Z Fold and Galaxy Z Flip. What’s interesting about the supposed third model in the South Korean tech giant’s foldable line-up is that it will also be its first to feature a dual-hinge, tri-fold design.
For one thing, Samsung has been mulling on introducing a foldable of this concept for a while now, so there’s a chance that Brar’s tip might be onto something. The first instance of a tri-fold smartphone was teased back in 2020 via an official Samsung Display blog post, which resembles the Flex S concept that was showcased during CES 2022. For the uninitiated, this particular prototype featured an in-and-out folding approach that creates a double curve resembling the letter “S”, hence its name. If you ask us, it closely looks like the letter “Z”, but we all know that letter is already taken.
There is no Galaxy S23 FE in the development chain unlike what the recent rumours have been pointing..
Samsung is instead working on the improved Z Fold 5 & Flip 5 along with a Tri-Fold that might finally ship this year
FE fans should look elsewhere…
— Yogesh Brar (@heyitsyogesh) March 24, 2023
However, the leakster did not specify whether the allegedly upcoming tri-fold will actually adopt the Flex S’ folding style. What’s more, there’s a chance that it might not be a smartphone at all, but a tablet instead.
The reason why we’re pointing this out is that Samsung had also showcased two other tri-fold concepts during last year’s CES. These are known as the Flex G prototypes, with one presented as a smartphone while the other as a foldable tablet. Unlike the Flex S, the duo features a brochure-like inwards folding style. It’s also worth pointing out that the smartphone version also comes with a slot for an S-Pen accessory on the right side of its inner screen.
Regardless of which concept Samsung is going for, it looks like the brand could be the first to commercially release a tri-fold smartphone or tablet to the market – provided that Brar’s tip is proven accurate, of course. One thing’s for sure, expect such devices to definitely come with an eye-watering price tag, especially given the fact that it can be considered a tier higher to already-premium products like the brand’s own Galaxy Fold Z series, as well as other foldables such as the HONOR Magic V and OPPO Find N.
Samsung’s alleged tri-fold smartphone aside, Brar also brought forward another tip that’s far less exciting. In the same tweet, the leakster claims the tech giant has no plans of releasing an FE variant of this year’s Galaxy S23 series, which is something that WinFuture’s Roland Quandt also hinted at earlier this month. If true, this marks the second time that Samsung has skipped out on introducing an in-between model for its flagship smartphones – further solidifying a prior rumour regarding the cancellation of the entire Fan Edition line-up.
Sure doesn't look like there'll be an S23 FE this year.
— Roland Quandt (@rquandt) March 10, 2023
In a somewhat related note, separate reports are alleging that the South Korean company may also release its first-ever foldable laptop this year. It is believed that the device will feature a 17.3-inch OLED foldable display, with a form factor that may or may not resemble the Lenovo ThinkPad X1, or the ASUS Zenbook 17 Fold OLED.
(Source: Yogesh Brar)
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